Akbayan calls for Sec. Aguirre to quit

MANILA, Philippines — Several members of the Department of Justice held a protest in front of the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday morning.

The group called for the resignation of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre over what they claim as his errors in decision-making.

Akbayan said these include his dismissal of the charges against alleged big-time drug lords Peter Lim, self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa and other individuals charged by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG).

The protesters also opposed the decision of the DOJ to place pork barrel scam queen Janet Lim Napoles under its witness protection program despite being the primary accused in the cases involving the alleged misuse of lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF). — UNTV News & Rescue

MANILA, Philippines – Authorities are now looking into the profile and possible network of a Chinese national who was arrested during a Thursday buy-bust operation that yielded around P5.1 billion worth of suspected shabu (crystal meth) in Marilao, Bulacan.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said the suspect, identified as Yuwen Cai, could be a “trusted man” of a bigger drug personality or an international syndicate given the volume of illegal drugs confiscated by the authorities.

Elements of the Philippine National Police and PDEA, together with the Bulacan Police, on Thursday afternoon stormed a warehouse along Reley Street in Barangay Lias.

Yuwen Cai, said to be the caretaker of the warehouse, was arrested during the operation, along with Filipinos Angela Miole Tulio and Ma. Lyn Miole Tulio.

Seized from the suspects were boxes containing 808 kilograms of suspected shabu, which police authorities consider as its biggest drug haul to date.

According to PDEA Director General Wilkins Villanueva, they are now looking into the Chinese man’s connections to an international drug syndicate, and if he is linked to chemist, Samson Tan who was arrested during a recent raid in a kitchen-type shabu laboratory in Biñan, Laguna.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have deployed buses and trucks to help transport stranded commuters after Metro Manila shifted to general community quarantine (GCQ) starting June 1.

PNP spokesperson Brigadier General Bernard Banac said they sent three police trucks from Camp Crame to Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, Navotas, and Bacoor, Cavite to assist employees returning to work on the first day of Metro Manila’s transition to GCQ.

MANILA, Philippines – More than 500 local and barangay officials are being investigated over the alleged anomalies in the distribution of the cash subsidy under the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP).

According to the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), a total of 505 local officials nationwide are under “case build-up” following allegations of their involvement in graft and corrupt practices amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis.

PNP-CIDG deputy director for administration Police Brigadier General Rhoderick Armamento said around 380 complainants went to their office from April 1 to June 1 to report the alleged wrongdoings of local officials during the SAP distribution.

Armamento said most of the barangay officials facing allegations are from Western Visayas.

Among the local officials under investigation are 104 barangay chairpersons, 70 are barangay councilors, and three are Sangguniang Kabataan chairpersons.

The CIDG official also revealed the recent arrest they made involving three barangay officials from Olongapo City and Davao del Sur for allegedly ‘splitting’ the SAP cash aid of intended family-beneficiaries.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government earlier said that “splitting” is among the top complaints leveled against erring barangay officials, in which they allegedly divide the SAP cash aid of one family to benefit other families.

Collecting “processing fees” and getting a cut from the SAP financial aid of beneficiaries also emerged as among the top complaints against some barangay officials.

Armamento said they have already lodged criminal complaints against more than 100 barangay officials over the alleged irregularities in the SAP distribution.

He also called on the public anew to report local officials who are involved in corrupt practices through the CIDG Facebook account, and hotline numbers 09773475267 and 09510593843. – RRD (with details from Correspondent Lea Ylagan)

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